


Pecuarious Soul Revamped

by Darkangelpuppet



Series: Interdimensional Affairs [5]
Category: Over the Garden Wall (Cartoon & Comics)
Genre: (for Wirt and Sara), Angst, Anxiety Attacks, Cambions, Demon Summoning, Demon/Human Relationships, F/M, Flowers, Interspecies Romance, M/M, Mpreg, One-Sided Attraction, Plants, Possessive Behavior, Teacher-Student Relationship, Unrequited Crush, Wirt is afraid of the woods, Witches, and water, coven - Freeform, sorta stockholm syndrome, wirt is a mess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:40:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 5,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23527033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkangelpuppet/pseuds/Darkangelpuppet
Summary: Wirt thought he and Greg escaped the Beast.Surely the demon was dead and he can finally recover his sanity.His family even send him to therapy.But the Beast wasn't dead and he did not escape the beast.-Like I said I was going to revamp the series since I  got the cleaving Idea after Svtfoe ended.-edit: 28.02.2021 changed chapters  3 to 7 a bit
Relationships: Sara/Wirt (Over the Garden Wall), The Beast/Wirt (Over the Garden Wall)
Series: Interdimensional Affairs [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1362787
Comments: 5
Kudos: 90





	1. Moving on

In the middle of the night, a group of people has gathered in the greenhouse of their shared mansion. 

There on the grass drawn with chalk was a pentacle, dimly lit candles sitting on each corner of the star. 

Sitting there in the middle was a girl not much older than fourteen.

Her brown hair was getting in her face as she tried to read the ritual out loud to her family.

She could tell she was shaking as she tried to keep the heavy and dusty grimoire from falling down and embarrassing herself.

The other people there all adults except one who was a boy her own age. She tried to remain calm during the chanting.

She doubted that this ritual was going to work hearing the rumor from beyond the grave. Yet they had to try.

Her aunt told her that if he was truly gone they would lose a massive amount of power...yet everyone still had the same amount of magick inside.

The ritual was a familiar one yet this was the first time she was the one in charge of it.

Yet in a way, it was also different because the being they wanted to summon was rumored to have passed.

She holds a wooden wand in her hand and moved to each corner of the pentacle chanting.

When she finally finished the ground started shaking and the candles that were previously lit were now blown out.

The candles and teacups that were previously sitting upright fell down shattering and spilling the liquids inside to the dirt.

The girl whimpered as she duck. She could feel a root wrapping around her leg dragging her down.

The ground split a dark abyss now in place of the pentacle.

Roots started crawling out of the darkness. Laughter echoing around the greenhouse.

Rising from the depths was a familiar face.   
A smile started spreading on her face and on the faces around her.

  
"Dahlia dearest you did it!" she heard her aunt say.

Wirt could not forget the last All Hallows Eve. The others there always worried about him when he started panicking.

He refused to go into the water or places like forests or woods.   
He was excused from swimming lessons.

Wirt smiled seeing Sara and the others.  
While Sara found the tape cute and that she did like him but she also wanted to be just friends. 

She just didn't feel the same way.

However, it didn't stop the butterflies in his stomach every time he saw her.

Kathleen grinned at him poking him awake from his daydream. "Hey earth to Wirt!" she said.

He slapped away her hand causing her to laugh. Rhondi right behind her. 

"You been staring at Sara again haven't you?" she asked the grin still on her face.

"Hey, Kath. What are you doing here?" he asked trying to change to subject. 

"We always eat lunch together if you're trying to change the subject you just failed" she hooked her arm around his and dragged him to the others.

He internally groaned. Still red-faced he knew Kathleen will tease him about his crush on their way home.  
"Your cruelty knows no bounds".

Kathleen and he are neighbors as well as childhood friends since Kindergarten and so the two of them would walk the same way home.

Wirt's life changed after the Unkown.   
His father would call regularly every week to be exact.

Mostly just to check in on him most of the time his father had to leave for a meeting so they were pretty short calls.

He and Greg started to get along great and he even started calling Greg's dad no longer by his name but calling him dad.

It was embarrassing now that he thought about it. 

Everyone that was in the gathering at Halloween started to hang out with him and calling him his friend.

  
Sometimes he still gets so flustered by it.  
Kathleen sometimes felt guilty that because of her sneaking the tape into Sara's jacket...well her friend she known for a long time could have died.

  
But things have been going well and he really hoped they won't change.

So why did it feel like something life-changing is about to happen?


	2. Wormwood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wormwood- Absence, bitter sorrow

It's been a month since that fateful All Hallows eve.

Wirt began to despise water and trees.

Every time he saw large amounts of water he could feel the feeling of water in his lungs, not being able to breathe.

It made him thankful that they had a shower.  
Rain also felt diffrent. He just didn't like being supmerged into the cold water that swimming and baths were becoming nightmares.

  
Trees meanwhile made him think of the Beast and Greg inside of the roots of a newly grown tree slowly turning into a tree himself.  
He begins choking just thinking about it as he tried not to think about the back oil.

His therapist gave him the idea to slowly but surely try to get used to both water and trees again.

Yeah, so that was a new development. The theapry... His mom made him go of course. 

She was worried about him. How could she not she almost lost both her sons.

You won't catch him at the beach or the sea or in a forest but he should maybe try stepping into parks and start to take baths again to get used to them again.  
Doesn't mean he won't freak out when he sees large amounts of trees or water.

But he tried not to overdo it and keep taking his medicine against anxiety.

Greg meanwhile seemed no different. He instead loved telling stories about the unknown.

The others loved listening to him though they didn't believe his tales. 

How can one not be fascinated by a land where skeletons walked around in pumpkins and animals could speak.

Wirt had to tell him lies that Beatrice promised to visit if Greg was good because otherwise, he would try to get back to the graveyard.

Greg wanted to see the others again. Not that Wirt could blame him.

He missed Beatrice, Lorna, Fred.

He could already hear his brother begging "Brother of mine.When is Beatrice coming over".  
Wirt didn't have the guts to tell him the truth.   
He couldn't tell him they were in limbo and that everyone they met there already dead before they even met them.

Dahlia heard Stories about the Creature in front of her.

Generations worth of stories about the witches and demons that started this coven.

She did not know how to feel about the demon. She was nervous which was strange for her since she barely knew any emotions in her life.

People called her coldhearted and coldblooded but that was okay with her.

She didn't spill a single tear when her mother died so this shouldn't make her nervous.  
But it did.

The dining hall was full of laughter and noise.

Dahlia hated the noise. Be quiet dammit.

The table was decorated with vases full of Edelwood branches and cotton.

The whole house was decorated with floral arrangements so it wasn't that strange.

She stared at the demon with an unreadable expression but quickly looked away once the demon stared back.

His eyes shined like a rainbow in the light. 

Her aunt had already stood up to announce the return of one of their masters as well as appoint her as the next heir of their coven.

She could feel her aunt moving to her side and braiding her hair. She did not care for being the lead witch.

She also did not care for her hair, long as it may be.

Everyone started to cheer and she sank uncomfortably into her chair as if trying to hide.

She stood up to leave but felt the being following her. 

"Young lady may I discuss an important matter with you?" the demon asked in his deep voice.

She nodded. 

"Well there is a boy around your age slightly older I need you to track down for me...would you be a dear?".

"...umm A boy ? A human boy?" she asked confused.

"Why are you looking for a boy ...umm Master" she asked now concerned.

They were at the main entrance and the dusty portraits of the Covensfonders were staring at her with their soulless stare.

They couldn't move but they were still unnerving.

"Call me Dante, young lady..and it shall be of no concern of yours why just track him for me" he smiled.

She looked up at him "But...I want to know why".

The beast seemed amused by that "Let's just say the boy impressed me, he also unknownst to him broke a curse I was under...I...I want to thank him yeah let's go with that".

"That can't be all there is to it," she said.

"Clever young lady let's just say I would like to know him personally," the demon said.

She chuckled before laughing amused.  
Now that was interesting.  
"I can track him down for you..but I don´t know how long it will take".


	3. Red Columbine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Red Columbine - Anxiety

Wirt felt watched the last few days.  
He hoped he hasn't started getting Paranoia.  
Great another thing to add to his mental disorders.

It might be his imagination or his anxiety getting the best of him.  
At least that's what he hoped.

Wirt shook his head as Kathleen was talking about the new series she started watching.

He barely listened to her to lost in his thoughts.

Once he arrived home and greeted his brother and mother who were cooking dinner he headed upstairs.  
Greg was excited as well. His frog was on the counter.  
That can't be sanitary even if the frog was sentient.

Throwing his bag into a chair his eyes were drawn to the single red rose sitting on his table.

How did that get there? Did his parents get it from the post?

The rose was neatly placed on an envelope.

The envelope had no address field just fine hand lettering saying it was for him and was sealed with a red wax seal showing a rose.

The letter looked so neat not like the mess that his own was and the handwriting was one he did not recognize.

Which was very eerie...who would know where he lived to place this in his mailbox...wait no the rose couldn't even fit in the mailbox.

Was it placed in front of the housedoor... or was the person inside his room!?!  
He swore to himself that he even thought about someone being in his messy room without him knowing.  


He can't think of anyone with such neat handwriting and who would go the extra steps to wax seal something.

He opened the letter carefully not to rip the envelope.

The letter had the same neat cursive handwriting.

By the way, it looked, it was most likely written with a Fountain pen.

He could feel his legs trembling and he fell down on the floor shaking seeing how the letter was signed.

He wanted to rip the letter up right there and hope it was just some cruel joke.

The teen rubbed his eyes hoping it was a hallucination but the letter was still there.

Lifting the letter back up he starts reading with a gulp.

> Dear Pilgrim,
> 
> I hope this letter finds you well ...as you are aware we met before in a forest not like any of this world.
> 
> The moment I saw you I knew you were special and that I need to have you. You proven me right.
> 
> Not many pass through the Unknown and live to tell the tale.
> 
> Mostly because most souls that end up in the unkown are duncical to say the least and quite boring.
> 
> So please take this red rose as a sign of my admiration to you. As a sign a beauty like you deserves.
> 
> You see in my eternity I never met someone like you through we barely interacted..I wish to see your lovely self again.
> 
> We will meet again Loverboy...you and me both know that it was not the last time we saw eachother.
> 
> With regards
> 
> Dante alas The Beast

Not only was the Beast alive but out of the Unknown.   
This can't be happening.

Vivid memories he rather not recall came back to him.  
He wanted to throw up.  


He thought that this was over but it looks like it isn't.

Why wasn´t this over? It should be over!

The woodsman made sure the lantern was blown out.  
Or didn't he ...I guess they did leave before knowing if the Beast was dead.  
Dread filled his stomach.

The Beast was supposed to be dead.

He doesn't know why or what the Beast wants from him but just reading the letter the Beast wants him but it made him feel ill.

He tried to breathe normally, slowly to calm down. In and out deep breaths.

Wirt teared up the letter and threw it in the trashcan. Out of sight out of mind! 

Letter what Letter. He knows nothing about a creepy Stalker letter.

He lifts up the rose which was really beautiful.

Enchantingly even. 

A really nice sentiment but considering who gave it to him.

Wirt was debating what to do with the rose staring at it for what felt like an hour before tossing them in the bin with the letter.

He flinched as he pricked his finger when tossing it into the trash.   
He sucked on his thumb to stop the blood from dripping.

Wirt walked downstairs to get a first aid kit.


	4. Black rose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Get this according to the personality database Wirt is an Infp like me (makes sense why I sorta connected with his character) which makes him easier for me to write  
> but get this the beast is an Infj according to the website.  
> ... According to a multiple sources Infj and Infp are very compatable personalities and feel more drawn to each other.
> 
> Black Rose: Death, hatred, despair, sorrow, mystery, danger, obsession (cue the hatred and obsession part)
> 
> Edit: I found the original notes for this chapter so I changed it.

The next day Kathleen stayed a bit longer at school. She, Sara, Carol, and Rhondi wanted to go eat together at a local fast food place in the mall so he had to walk home alone.

Wirt was still thinking about the letter to the point that he didn't notice that he wandered too far from his usual way home.

With no idea where he was.

  
Great, he was lost. He jumped hearing something behind him. Not just anything but the voice of the Beast singing.

There's was no one else around so he did what he could and started running.

He didn't take notice of where he ran as he constantly looked behind him. concentrating on getting away from the cursed singing.  
Soon he found himself surrounded by trees. 

Anything but this... it's just a nightmare, right?

  
The teen froze still hearing the voice of the thing that haunted his nightmares right behind him.

He couldn't get lost in the woods again not with the Beast here.

His knees started shaking just by looking at the trees surrounding him and hearing that damned voice.  
He started running out of fear trying to get away from it and the trees before he had a complete panic attack.

His breathing was...he was hyperventilating slowing his running down.

Turning around he came face to face with the creature. He was dangerously close. He backed away hitting a tree. 

He whimpered meeting the cold dead-looking pastel-colored eyes of the Beast.

The Demon had backed him away into a tree.   
The bark of the tree rubbing against his clothing and skin...no no-no.  
He was quite literally stuck between two trees one was just more mobile than the other.

The Beast hand pinned against the tree. Cutting off his means of escape.

Wirt gulped as the Beast stared down at him.

He tried to push the Beast away but to his Dismay, the Being won't budge even an inch.

  
Maybe he can duck down and crawl out of this situation?  
If only he could move but... he was too afraid to even do that.

He tried to push it away.

All he did was grip into one of the eye-shaped holes on the Beast's torso.  
Causing Wirt to flinch even more.

The demon was caressing his cheek with his other hand.  
What is even happening!?

Cupping his face into his hand forcing the teen to look directly into his eyes.

Wirt was in a state of shock. Shaking more and frozen stiff as he tried to remain strong.

He was going to die. Oh god, he was going to die.

Before he could register what was happening a lipless mouth connected with his lips!

It must have been the shock that caused him to open his mouth because he soon found the thing's tongue inside his mouth.

Oh god, he rather die!

Why is this happening now! and why!?

What happened in the monster's mind to even consider this a valuable option of action?!

Their lips parted. Beast gives him a smile. Was that a smile?

"I see you around pet," he said with a very sinister smile.

The boy slid down to the ground.

The treebark rubbing against his clothes.

His hand touching his lip. a huge blush on his face.

His thoughts racing in his mind. As he tries not to panic.

He didn't want to think of it because Wirt didn't like to think about the situation.

The mere thought about the thing that almost killed his brother having a crush on him was messing with his brain.

Because that's stupid! Why would an immortal creature such as the Beast have a crush on plain stupid him when there are people in the world like Beatrice, Lorna, Sara, Kathleen, Jason honestly anyone but not him!

He's the worst person to have a crush on...

and he also didn't like thinking about it because after what the thing almost did he can't forgive him not now not ever.

  
...It took him a while to get home.


	5. Gloxinia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I've grown a mouth so sharp and cruel  
> It's all that I can give to you my dear  
> And when you come in quick to steal a kiss  
> My teeth will only cut your lips, my dear  
> -Tongues & Teeth by the Crane Wives.
> 
> GLOXINIA - Love at First Sight

Wirt still had the kiss in his mind he barely paid attention to anything else the next few days.

this mind drifting to the Beast's lipless mouth on his.  
He can't stop thinking about it and it drove him insane as he tried not to blush or feel disgusted that he let that happen.

So much had he not paid attention so that he didn't hear Kathleen tell him about the new English teacher or the new student in the parallel class to theirs.

Kathleen was known as the school's gossiper. She knew pretty much more about everyone than anyone else.

It often led to Kathleen telling him new gossip he barely listened to mainly because he did not care for gossip.

The moment he stepped foot into the English class he froze however mainly because of the teacher's voice sounds awfully familiar as he told the students to quiet down.

He didn't move which caused people to look at him strangely. Wirt felt his face redden as he quickly sat down.

...It couldn't be, could it?  
No surely its just his imagination

The man had long black hair and a full-grown beard. His skin flawless like porcelain.

His hair was neatly put away into a ponytail. His eyes a colorless light grey that sometimes at the right angle shined in rainbow colors in the sunlight.

He was sorta attractive ..well kinda you know the kind like someone you see in a magazine. Too perfect looking to be real. simply fake.

Wirt thinks the man caught him staring as he now looked directly at him with these grey dead looking eyes.

Nervously he looked down at his book.  
Don't stare! 

Feeling the gaze of the man still on him as the lesson continued. But Wirt's mind has started to drift off.

It was when the two boys first arrived at the Unknown that the Beast first laid eyes on him.

The boy was something he came to desire.

The boy had wit, he seemed to be quiet and well-read.

A creative soul likes him.

His hair reminded him of chestnuts.

His eyes a beautiful hazel color. 

The poems that left his mouth were like music to his ears.

He felt an attraction to this boy that he could not describe or explain so he watched.

He needed to have this boy. He didn't care how but the longer he watched the more the feeling grew.

He needed to possess this boy. He needed to own him.

So he may never leave his side.

  
After class, Wirt stayed behind telling his friends to go to lunch without him.

"You got to stop following me and stop looking at me like that...I am not interested" Wirt said glaring at the demon in disguise.

The teen has crossed his arms unamused by the demon. He wasn't going to be scared.

While inside the feeling of anxiety had already bubbled up.

The teacher gave an amused smirk "Whatever are you referring to Walter?".

"Don't deny it! " Wirt said in a glare crossed his arms." I know who you are and I will not allow you to hurt anyone here!".

The man has gotten closer way to close. What's with the Beast and trying to back him into corners.

"I am uninterested in the vermin here the only thing I am interested in is you".

The teen could feel himself shaking again.

He gulped, closed his eyes, and spoke up. "I'm not your plaything! So stop treating me like that and leave me alone!".

"We both know I won't give up so easily. Listen and listen well to my words Pilgrim. You will be mine".

Wirt gave him a look of hatred "You think that I would after what you did to me and my brother!?".

The Beast gave him a taunting expression "Is that so you know I have the upper hand and yet you want to fight?".

"...No, I never want to fight anyone." Wirt said, "That's why this is difficult for me".

"So your gonna be stubborn and fight my affection". Wirt nodded.

"Have you ever considered that what I did I only did to survive?" The Beast lifted his chin with a finger.

"You and your brother just got unfortunate to be at the wrong place at the wrong time ...You were in my territory that is all. You can't fault me for having a survival instinct".

The Beast smiled as he let go. 

"No...no I can't...I want to believe that there's good even in something like you but I can't when you wronged me"

"Wronged you? How so I remember that I offered you a way of survival that you decided not to take".

"Trapping me in Purgatory is not Survival!" Wirt spat back.

"..Walter listen I apologize alright it's not like I could have done much differently and even if I could have the world is a horrible place you need to learn that".

"Survival is only for the strongest. a little wallflower like you should know their place and a good partner if you want to survive in this big scary world".

Wirt gave him an offended look before looking at the Ground.

The beast is only trying to manipulate him. He isn't sorry ...or is he?

Does anything even matter? Maybe the monster was sorry and worded it badly. He seemed genuine. He also had a point.

All the Beast did was wanting to survive.

Wirt could feel his heart and thoughts racing.

He was weak that's very true, but not weak enough not to at least try to protect others.

He made a decision he thinks he's going to regret later neither less he spoke up with a soften expression he spoke softly.

"...Promise me you won't hurt anyone here. and I might consider giving you a chance and that's a big might".

The Beast gave him a smug look of victory "Its a deal!".   
The Beast let the teen leave.

It might have been his morbid curiosity that made him give in. 

Nevertheless.

What is done is done and he can't take it back.


	6. Iris

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iris- A Message.
> 
> I know, I know, I know, this situation's strange  
> It takes a little getting, a little getting used to
> 
> Love me, love me, love me, love me  
> ....  
> Love me, love me, love me, love me more  
> Than you possibly can  
> \- Autoheart -Stalker's tango

The next day he was surprised by flowers over flowers in his school locker.

Kathleen spotted him staring shocked at his locker she giggled "Looks like someone has a secret admirer who is it?". 

"I ...have no idea," he said overwhelmed by everyone now staring at him.

"Uh-huh," she teased "Maybe it's a sign that you need to get over Sara and go after the girl who did this because damn".

"...are you assuming it's a girl?" Wirt asked quietly. But Kathleen was already excited "ah so you know who it is and it's a boy! I didn't know you swung that way!".

"I...WHAT I didn't say that Kathleen! and NOT so loud what if someone else heard you".

Kathleen grabbed some of the flowers sniffing them.

"God your so embarrassing!" Wirt said hiding his face behind his hands.

"What is going on here?" asked Sara followed by the others.

"Wirt has an admirer sending him flowers!" she said. "and he won't tell me who it is! But it's a boy!".

"Yeah ...because you only going to tease me either way," Wirt said grabbing the flowers tossing them all into the bin.

"Besides I'm not interested in them in the slightest". "Is that so?" Rhondi asked. "Because your red face says otherwise".

"You guys are the worst you know that?" he groaned.

"I think it's sweet of them. You should definitely not do that to a gift" she grabbed the flowers out of the bin handing them back.

"Trust me if you know who they were from you would do the same" he took them sighing.

"I don't think you're being fair here".

He stared at the flowers grimacing before putting them back into the locker.

Having the Beast as a teacher was more than awkward.

Not only because it would lead to Dante finding a way to keep him around after class.

Even if it means to literally follow him home like a lost puppy.

Wirt spoke up "Can we talk about the flowers course that's gotta stop". "While this is sweet and all I don't need gifts want them"

"What do you mean you don't like gifts?!" Dalia asked. "Most people hell even most animals give courting gifts and you don't need them?!"

"I won't give you any more gifts if that's what you want," The Beast said ignoring Dahlia who gave him a shocked face.

Wirt turned red "Yeah...thanks for listening to me for once".

"Did you think about my proposition?" the being asked in a sweet tone.

"Yeah I thought about it and the answer is no and will always be no!" Wirt turned around to leave ignoring the Beast who gave him an annoyed look.

"Walter just let me take care of you" the Beast grabbed his arm preventing him from leaving. "Why are you so against this".

"Because it's so very wrong! you almost killed my brother, were not the same species, and your way older than me! why do I have to repeat myself!".

The monster leaned down caressing his cheek and his mind was telling him to lean into the Beasts touch.

"Is it?" the Demon's sinister voice said Wirt let out a groan of frustration.

Wirt groaned "Why do you have to be like this!".

"I could ask you the same my little seedling".

"This...this is getting ridiculous!". Wirt pulled away causing the Beast to let go.

The young teen left without a word ignoring the look of longing that the Beast was giving him.

Dahlia stared at her master before speaking "So are we gonna kidnap him?".

"...not yet," he said.

"You're no fun," the girl replied said tagging behind him like a kicked puppy.


	7. Pear blossom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pear blossom- lasting friendship

"Alright let's move to the next love language!" Dahlia said.   
"Since gifts don't work and neither does physical touch which you do naturally anyway".

The Beast crossed his arms skeptically.   
"So acts of service! Let's just do a bunch of stuff for him!" 

She had a grin on her face but it felt off.

  
The next few days Wirt found his usual messy room cleaned.  
All his laundry done, ironed, and folded.

His books organized and his English grades improving.

Not again. He already told the Beast he was not interested. But the Demon seemed stubborn.

During the lunch period while sitting with his small group of friends.

That girl that was with the Beast approached him. Wirt gulped seeing Dahlia.

She smiled telling them "Special delivery for Wirt!" 

"I already told him I don't want his gifts," he said nervously.

"I know! I know... but Well I don't think this counts as a gift?" she said. 

" He made you lunch!" 

His friends awwed and he wanted to hide in a corner.

"He can cook!?" he stated shocked staring at the lunch Dahlia was holding up to hand it to him.  
Everyone was staring... again.

The eyes of the other students stared at him.

It's too much ...way too much. So he excused himself as he walked away as fast as he could not listening to his friends and Dahlia calling after him.

He could barely hear their muffled voices over the Anxiety and thoughts in his brain.

So Kathleen excused herself as well running after the boy.

She found him at a place she didn't expect.

"What are you doing here hiding here and all alone," Kathleen said as she approached him.

"...I just ran and ended up here at least it's quiet here," he said.

"I see.... so are you are getting over your dumb fear of trees," She said looking at the trees around them.

Wirt had ran to the edge of the forest out of his own free will? ...that's weird.  
In fact, he had no idea why he did that.

"Not really...but it's better than everyone staring at me," he said, "In fact, this makes me even more stressed but I don't know where else I would have run to be alone".

"It's nice and quiet here" he repeated.

He seemed to be in thought " I don't hate the forest the air is fresh and I like hearing the Birds...but the trees are the problem...Can you be scared of something and still umm not hate it? appreciate... even" he asked.

"Course that's how I feel about the forest...I always liked forests but trees bring back painful memories"

Kathleen had no idea what he was talking about but nodded.

"Of course" she laughed as she sat down next to him.

"I had this fear of dogs for a long time before my sister got one ...but that doesn't mean I am completely over my fear...I still flinch when I see a stranger's dog especially the big ones".

She looked at Wirt who looked at the leaf and snow-covered ground.

It's December now...Wirt's accident was just two months ago.

"So...why did you run?" she asked curiously.

Wirt looked taken back and he had a haunted expression full of fear.

"I...Kathleen, there's something you need to know" he said.

'What was he so scared about' she thought.

"My secret admirer did some really awful things and I don't think he ever change but ...I " Wirt stopped his cheeks colored red...maybe it was from the cold or...could it be...

"Like them?" asked Kathleen grinning.

"I should hate them. In fact, I should be afraid of him" Wirt was shaking badly it must be the cold.

"Does that make me a bad person?" he found himself saying.

"Of course not!" Kathleen said excitedly for her friend liking someone again. "Wait ...hold on what bad things exactly?" she asked a bit shocked.

"I...can't tell you and I don't think you believe me": he said grabbing his knees

"Wirt this...sounds serious," she said with a worry to her voice.

"I tell you someday...I promise...just not today!.. okay?" he started to sound like he had a inner breakdown and barely keeping together.

Kathleen wrapped her arms around her friend not wanting to pressure him, "Okay...come on lunch period is almost over" she gave him her hand pulling him up.

Wirt smiled back at her.


End file.
